Versant Invests In Microdrama Streaming App GammaTime

Versant Media Group has acquired a minority stake in GammaTime, a microdrama streaming platform, as part of the startup's Series A funding round. The partnership aims to adapt Versant’s entertainment brands into vertical, bite-sized series to capture the growing mobile-first audience and advertiser interest in short-form dramatic content. This strategic move allows Versant to leverage its deep content library and IP within the emerging microdrama sector while providing GammaTime with the creative resources to scale its premium original programming.

Versant Media Group, the parent company of USA Network and Syfy, has finalized a minority investment in GammaTime to integrate its iconic entertainment brands into the microdrama space. While specific financial terms were not disclosed, the agreement excludes Versant’s news brands like CNBC and MS NOW. The collaboration is designed to align the Comcast spinoff with the increasing consumer and advertiser demand for vertical, short-form storytelling. Versant CEO Mark Lazarus emphasized that GammaTime’s mobile-first approach is a natural extension for the company’s storytelling and content library.

GammaTime intends to use the new capital to accelerate the development of its premium originals slate by utilizing Versant’s established showrunners and intellectual property. Bill Block, the former head of Miramax and current CEO of GammaTime, noted that the investment represents a turning point for the microdrama category by pairing Versant’s brand equity and creative DNA with GammaTime’s audience scale. The platform has already established a footprint in genres such as romance, true crime, and fantasy, and maintains a deal with the owner of the National Enquirer to adapt its archives into original content.

The investment follows a $14 million funding round for GammaTime that included high-profile backers such as Kim Kardashian, Kris Jenner, and Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian prior to its October 2025 launch. The startup was co-founded by former Google Gaming executive Slava Mudrykh, who serves as chief revenue officer, and former Discovery executive Alex Montalvo. By securing Versant’s backing, GammaTime positions itself to compete more aggressively in the streaming market by transforming traditional television IP into the bite-sized formats favored by younger, mobile-centric demographics.